Mental Illness is NOT Sin; But it is Impacted by Sin - Job 8-10

Job 10:18-22 (ESV Strong's)
“Why did you bring me out from the womb?
Would that I had died before any eye had seen me
and were as though I had not been,
carried from the womb to the grave.
Are not my days few?
Then cease, and leave me alone, that I may find a little cheer
before I go—and I shall not return—
to the land of darkness and deep shadow,
the land of gloom like thick darkness,
like deep shadow without any order,
where light is as thick darkness.”

Mental Illness is NOT Sin; but it is Impacted by Sin

When people suffer they like to read the book of Job to get some clarity.   Job goes through a lot of suffering but, in the end, he is double blessed.    That is probably the part of Job we all like to dwell upon.    Job becomes our inspiration ... our hope.   However, few who turn to Job for clarity, read the above passage for inspiration.   There is no doubt that Job is depressed. He is having a mental illness challenge.   His friends are not helping because they are seeing Job’s issue as sin he needs to repent from and about (see chapter eight).   Job’s mental challenge is not from his sin.   Job’s mental challenge is, however, a result of sin ... but, not HIS sin.   Sin in the world is here because Adam disobeyed God.   Sin impacts us all.  So, when we have suffering, illness and struggles, sin gets invited by default.   We only have suffering, illness and struggles because sin entered the world.   Job is slipping into mental illness and his friends are interpreting it all as sin in his life.    Job is having a crisis of faith.  He had interpreted his life as “righteous.”    In chapter one we see that God interprets his life as “righteous.”    Job, in a false interpretation of life, believes those who live righteous will NOT have suffering.   That is the mistake of Job’s belief structure.   We won’t see him sort this out until late in the book of Job.   Job will come face to face with God and that solves his faith challenges.   Job finds a way in the end to put suffering in a better belief structure.  But, until then, the God allowed suffering in Job’s life is fully open to sins power.    Job only gets through it by exercising his faith toward God.    Note how Paul tells us:

Ephesians 6:16 (ESV Strong's)
In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;

Faith can quench the darts of sin.   Job’s faith leads him out of his mental challenge.